Lone Cardinal
by inxpitter
Summary: What goes on inside Cardin's head? Review are welcome, even if just encouragement. I do not own RWBY, but damn I wish I could write for them.


"Rrgh!" Cardin punched the wall of his dorm room. For once, he was glad his teammates were off on their own. He had been working on getting the three loners comfortable enough with each other, and had been making lousy progress.

Cardin's current temper stemmed from Pyrrha making him look stupid in class. He normally wouldn't mind it so much, he knew his strengths lied with actually strength, but it was the fact that she made it seem like Jaune was his better. And now because of him he had an extra workload to get through on top of getting his squad together.

"That little…" Cardin muttered to himself, withdrawing his fist from the wall. He knew of Jaune and the Arc family before he had arrived at Beacon. Fist tightening, he tried to figure out how a weak idiot like Jaune managed to get into Beacon. Whether he barely passed the tests or used some kind of family influence, it was clear to Cardin that he didn't belong here.

With his temper rising, Carding fell back onto his breathing exercises. He sat on his bed, and breathed deeply filling his lungs entirely with air. He exhaled and could feel a wave of calm wash over him.

"Ahhh." He laid on his bed, his eyes closed. He thought about home, a large estate in Vale, and his caretaker. His mother had been busy with politics, and his father was preoccupied with his business. He would lay in bed most nights, unable to sleep until a young faunus maid sneaked into his room to comfort him

"Oh Cardin," she would say, "can't get to sleep again?"

He would stay silent, shake his head no.

"Well, why don't I tell you a story then?"

She would pull out a large book of legends and regale him with stories of heroes and monsters. Each night, she would share with him the valor of Vale's mightiest Huntsmen and Huntresses, as he softly clung to tail. And every morning, without fail, he would wake up alone, refreshed, and still buzzing with excitement from the night before.

But then….

His thoughts grew darker as Cardin remembered the last time he spoke to his father face to face.

"Where is she!?"

"Cardin, I believe I told you to knock before entering my study."

"Dad, where's Bella?"

"Gone."

Carding paused, staring at his father.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I sent her back to her family at the Schnee company mines. Don't think I don't know what was going on between you two. She's the one who's filled your head with these ridiculous ideas of becoming a huntsman."

"I'm already signed up for the exam. I'm going, and I want Bella's new address."

"You'll do nothing of the sort. Your brother and sister are already hard at work in the family company, and you will not through away all the work we've put into you for some chance to go to this school….what was it….Lamppost? Lighthouse?"

"Beacon. Beacon Academy."

"Yes, that one. Listen to me boy. If you go to that exam, then do not bother returning home. I have no need for a son like that.

After that, Cardin had stormed out of his father's study. Fueled by anger, he made his way to the exam and impressed the judges with his ferocity and strength. He applied for immediate transfer and soon was on an air ship flying away from his old home.

Carding walked to the window to get some fresh air. He sighed deeply. He had been to the library a few times to make requests for a Bella that lived at a mining facility, but his search had produced no results so far. He harbored a small fear that she had caught up in the White Fang somehow.

He looked down into the courtyard, and saw Velvet walking by herself. Cardin perked up. Memories of Bella came flooding back to him and he reached out as if to grab this secure feeling. He had forgotten that Faunus faced much prejudice, and would naturally be wary of humans. All that mattered was she could give him that feeling of safety he desperately wanted.

But he had driven her off. Used her as a target so his teammates could bond over her misery. Jaune deserved to get beat down so he could grow stronger, but Velvet…

A pang of guilt hit him. He would endure, like all the other things he endured so far.

Cardin could hear a faint chattering above him. Voices?

Focusing, he could make out the words of Jaune of Pyrrha on the rooftop. His eyes widened as he caught an excerpt of the conversation. Anger filled him, but more than that he felt a sensation of anticipation. He could finally make Jaune pay for taking Beacon so lightly, that discredited the blood and sweat that he and his fellow students shed to make it this far.

Cardin heard Jaune telling Pyrrha leave, and took that as his cue to climb out the window and up onto the roof. He finally had Jaune right where he wanted him.

* * *

**Not entirely sure I got his voice right, but this was an idea i had that could possibly redeem the bully we all love to hate. Hope you liked it.**


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